I am having an annoying problem with mud dobbers in the garage/workshop. They build their mud nests anywhere they can get into, and it only takes an extremely small opening. I've had to take power tools apart to clean out the nests. Does anyone know how they can be controlled? Scented baits? Fly strips?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), September 26, 2000

Answers

The best control I've found is to get rid of the nest once it is sealed. To avoid getting stung, this can be done anytime during late fall or winter. Just pop them off of the wall or wherever and crush them to expose them to the elements. If you don't have any or but a few hatch out, most of the control for the following season is done.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), September 26, 2000.

I have seen a spider control in some seed catalogs (Gurneys, I think) that seemed to be a silocone spray. It simply made whatever you sprayed it on too slippery to put a web up on - non-toxic and easy to use. Maybe a similar effect would occur as per your "guests" and their houses.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 26, 2000.

Huh, until I read your post I'd never heard anybody else ever call the long-waisted wasps "mud dobbers" I always thought it was a local regional thing in western Oregon......

At any rate I dont know of any way to repel the blasted things but a shot from a can of WD-40 kills the nest and any dobbers it gets on really well. Just dont get stung waiting for them to die, they've got nasty tempers.

-- Dave (AK) (daveh@ecosse.net), September 26, 2000.

Wish I knew Ken! I've had a time of them this year under my carport, my workshop, and out in the storage shed. I even had them build a nest in the throttle body on a weedwhacker I had sitting that needed some minor repairs.

-- Eric in TN (ems@nac.net), September 27, 2000.

Here at R-WAY we have learned to live with them, especially after I opened up a nest after experienceing simular problems, inside of the one that I opened were ten plus Blackwidow spiders, other than being stung twice, both times I sat or leaned upon them, we just duck when they fly by in the hallway, even Lynn has learned to ignore them. So maybe rather than elimination you shoul try co-existance, or call them all George, as Lyn does. See ya on the forum. Wayne & Lyn Roach

-- Wayne Roach (R-WAY@msn.com), September 30, 2000.